Methodology for direct assessment of student attainment of program outcomes

While not directly required in Criterion 3 of the ABET accreditation criteria for engineering technology programs, some form of direct assessment of student attainment of program outcomes is generally expected. Unfortunately, direct assessment can be overlooked by program faculty, often leading to an over reliance on indirect assessments such as surveys. This paper describes a successful methodology for faculty-driven, direct assessment of student attainment of program outcomes. The method does not require sophisticated technology or require students to create or maintain portfolios. The system provides student attainment of program outcome data by course, thus enabling curriculum improvement. Also, the system directly links examples of student work to program outcomes - a significant advantage as it melds the old and new accreditation requirements regarding student work samples. The method configures the materials used by the faculty each semester for their assessment of outcomes in the same format as viewed by ABET evaluators during a visit. Thus, the assessment process is institutionalized and last minute ABET visit preparation minimized.